Appointment with the grim reaper? There’s definitely no escaping

The death of a man identified as Kimulwon Chesaini last week after he was involved in a grisly road accident along Lang’ata Road at the same spot he had three weeks prior survived yet another carnage has left many wondering if the grim reaper had set camp here waiting for the perfect time to strike the second time without missing. 

The man’s death left many in awe after a journalist identified him as the same man who had rammed into his car at the same spot a few weeks ago. 

“Three weeks ago, while I was driving downhill on Lang’ata to Nairobi West, I was involved in a road accident. The crash involved my car and a Mercedes-Benz, whose driver made a U-turn at the Uhuru Gardens turn area without looking at oncoming traffic. The driver accepted responsibility (for the accident) and has been repairing my car,” Journalist Odindo Ayieko narrated.

Fast forward 21 days later and the journalist tried to reach the motorist to make a follow-up on car repair payment from Chesaini. “I called him to get an update on the repair work because he promised to do it over the weekend, but a police officer who had come to the scene of the accident earlier picked the call. The police officer told me that the man (Chesaini) had been involved in another road accident at the same area, but he did not survive,” he added. 

Date with the grim reaper

While not everyone subscribes to a personified death, we have all heard about the legend of the grim reaper, (usually a skeletal figure, who is often shrouded in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a scythe to “reap” human souls) and stories of people who almost cheated death...but not for too long. Someone almost drowns, but survives only to die of in floods months or years later. We all know of people who suffered from cancer, got a clean bill of health only for the same cancer to recur and claim the patient’s life. When one survives one situation just to die from a similar situation later, a lot of people would say they cheated death the first time, be it an accident or ailment. But can death miss its target?

Mariam Salim, a sales executive based in Mombasa and a Muslim by faith shares that it has everything to do with destiny. “According to Islam teachings, when you are still in the womb, everything that will happen to you on earth already becomes predestined — including your death. If it is a certain disease or accident, you can’t escape it. So, if you escape a similar occurrence the first or second time, then the same takes you, it’s only because it was time and it was already destined,” shares Miriam.

“We believe also that the angel of death (Azreal in Islam), whom a lot of people in the Western world refer to as the Grim Reaper, is the angel that comes to take the soul, when he is sent to take the soul he goes to take the soul and never miss. So, I believe nobody can cheat death,” she adds.  

Demonic forces

Reverend Peter Mwangi of  ACK Kiembeni Parish also shares that according to Christian belief, no man can cheat death when the time has come. However, he points out that demonic forces can be behind some incidences and their recurrence. Prayers, he says,  are required in order to destroy such strongholds.

“As Christians, we do not dispute that the devil can claim lives, especially through accident, but humans are always too quick to judge before investigating. There are demonic strongholds that can cause some bad events to recur in someone’s life. These are strongholds, which can be broken through prayers. It is also important for people to know that death can find someone in any way. When it is time to die and the spirit of death is sent your way, it will take you. Unless God has refused it, then it will not kill you no matter what or who is behind it,” he says.

Supernatural existence

Mijikenda elder, John Baya agrees that death could be caused by both natural and mystical factors. 

“Not all deaths are natural though. Some are attributed to Jinni or some spiritual forces. There are spots where sometimes mysterious voices are even heard and nobody sees them — so these places can be associated with a lot of mysterious events. If there is one thing that is certain on this earth, it is the fact that we are not the only species who live here, there is a lot of supernatural existence, which can revoke a lot and bring to manifest. 

On the roads, there are cases where passengers suddenly disappear from vehicles before an accident. In cases of recurring situations such as accidents, it is always important to pray over some things and stop their recurrence. It could be a spirit following you around,” he shared during the recent interview. 

The elder also intimates that sexual sins can contribute to accidents on the road, and warns drivers to restrain from such before getting behind the wheels. 

“It is not good to travel when you are not clean. For instance, when a driver decides to have an affair and without bathing gets back into the vehicle and continues driving, this attracts a lot of bad energy, also pray before you leave the house.

“ Africans have many ways of praying, which don’t necessarily involve going to church or Mosque — for instance, spitting saliva on the ground to come against any evil omen,” he says.